Notorious Pleasures (Maiden Lane) – book review

Notorious Pleasures
By Elizabeth Hoyt
Release Date: February 1, 2011
Book #2 in the Maiden Lane series
Number of Pages: 400
Historical Romance
Ages 16 and up
CW: cheating, attempted suicide,
stillborn, domestic abuse
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Their lives were perfect . . .
Lady Hero Batten, the beautiful sister of the Duke of Wakefield, has everything a woman could want, including the perfect fiancé. True, the Marquis of Mandeville is a trifle dull and has no sense of humor, but that doesn’t bother Hero. Until she meets his notorious brother . . .

Until they met each other.
Griffin Remmington, Lord Reading, is far from perfect – and he likes it that way. How he spends his days is a mystery, but all of London knows he engages in the worst sorts of drunken revelry at night. Hero takes an instant dislike to him, and Griffin thinks that Hero, with her charities and faultless manners, is much too impeccable for society, let alone his brother. Yet their near-constant battle of wits soon sparks desire – desire that causes their carefully constructed worlds to come tumbling down. As Hero’s wedding nears, and Griffin’s enemies lay plans to end their dreams forever, can two imperfect people find perfect true love?

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While I was a bit disappointed this story wasn’t centered on Silence, I ended up enjoying Hero’s story immensely. Plus, we get peeks at Silence throughout this book which just whets my appetite even more.

The first meeting of Hero and Griffin is a bit different as the FMC catches the MMC with his pants down wetting his wick in a married woman. Not the most auspicious beginning to a relationship. Yet they both leave that encounter intrigued…only to find out Hero is engaged to Griffin’s brother, the Marquis!

Griffin and Hero may not always act honorable when it comes to her engagement, but neither does the Marquis. Both Hero and the Marquis look at the engagement as a business arrangement. Hero was raised to broker an advantageous marriage for her family. Her brother is a Duke and, though he cares deeply for his sisters, he also believes their purpose is to further his political advantages. Hero has quite a spirited nature, but she always keeps that part of herself suppressed. This is why she cannot understand how that façade always slips away when she’s around Griffin. It’s the only time she feels she can be her true self.

There is a lot of push/pull in this story as both characters struggle with doing the right thing, and trying to figure out what the right thing is. Not just in their feelings for each other, but in other aspects of their lives. The beautiful thing is, when they’re together they seem to effortlessly fall into figuring things out and become unstoppable. If only they wouldn’t keep pushing each other away. An added aspect of this story is Hero’s younger sister who is a joy and who helps Hero and the reader see Griffin’s true nature.

There is amazing chemistry between this couple and, although Griffin makes many missteps, these characters are both very lovable. Especially once you know their motivations.

4.5 stars